Day 31 – Skagway to Dease Lake on Canada Day

We woke up in the cool campground and then did a hike around Skagway to get a few pictures before the boats unloaded.  The first several blocks are owned by the National Park Service and by the number of jewelry stores, the cruise lines have the next several blocks.  There are a lot of curio shops and a couple of liquor stores.  We walked far enough back that we got to see some of the local community.  There were some really nice places.  We found the old salmon hatchery next to the railroad line.  It was built in 1988 and dedicated in 1990 but has since been abandoned.

Skagway main street.

We broke camp and checked out of the campground and did a bit of sight-seeing to the old town of Dyea.  There was really nothing there, so we headed out of Skagway.  The drive out of the canyon is breathtaking.  The mountain changes dramatically from what we have experienced in that it is almost completely stone.  There are lakes and rivers cascading over the stone and some trees here there.  It is no wonder the train ride from Skagway to Whitehorse is such an attraction.  

Great municipal campground in Skagway, AK

We crossed the Canadian border and continued to Carcross.  It was Canada Day so we stopped in at the visitors center and found a festival going on.  We missed the parade, but there were shops and food and of course beer.  We finally found a place in Canada besides Tim Hortons that served Poutine, so we ordered one.  Delicious. Its basically fries with cheese curds and covered in gravy.  

Residents in Skagway have the worst views.

We met a local guy and a tour guide there and had a nice conversation.  The tour guide was providing tours for the cruise passengers.  The local guy, Dominic, was a native and on the local trail crew for mountain biking.  He had lots to say about his town and the area and was definitely enjoying his second Maas of beer.

Celebrating Canada Day in Carcross, Yukon

We continue south at this point and started putting in miles.  We made it to road 37 and drove until about 11 PM where we found a camp at the edge of town for the night.  The mosquitos are the worst here and without DEET, they’d suck you dry.  About an hour into our night, a couple of kids on 4 wheelers passed and yelled, “We love your truck house”.  Funny, and off to bed.  I did manage to clear out the videos from the GoPro and get them backed up to the external drive.